Video: US chess star Irina Krush loses her cool and wipes off board after losing a match

Just as tension plays antagonist to many sports stars on the field, it has also played the villain in the sport of chess, owing to the magnitude of concentration that is demanded from each player. However, pressure took full toll on one occasion when a US star tossed a pawn off her board after conceding the match to her rival. Here's an account of what happened:

In the clash during the US Women's Championships 2008, US Grandmaster Irina Krush was facing off against Anna Zatonskih in an Armageddon match. The two were dealing blow after blow, leaving the crowd gasping in awe.

With just a couple of minutes left on the clock, the duo stepped on the gas and traded continuous moves, leaving no time for hard-thought choices. At a stage when just a minute was left to play, the two players made one move every second which appeared as if they were leaving everything to chance.

The event that followed next is slated as one of the game's funniest episodes.

After throwing move after move and in the process knocking some pawns off the board, Zatonskih made a decisive move which cornered the US champion's king, disallowing any further moves from Irina Krush.

Flabbergasted at the turn of events, Krush let out a huge 'Oh, no!' cry and followed it up by a sweeping of the hand that sent the king flying into the air, expressing her disgust at the loss while walking away from the table.

Her reaction has given genesis to many memes and funny videos on the internet and continues to remain one of the funniest events in chess history.